GPhC urges pharmacy staff to take Covid jab as government keeps them out of mandatory ambit

In a recent announcement the government has mandated frontline NHS staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, keeping people working in community pharmacies out of this purview.

In its response to the announcement, General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has urged “pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to get Covid-19 and flu vaccinations at the earliest opportunity, unless they are medically exempt.”

GPhC, which regulates pharmacists and other staff in community pharmacies, said that vaccinated healthcare workers can better protect their family, colleagues and patients.

During the government consultation on making Covid-19 jab a condition of deployment for frontline health and care workers in England, GPhC had said: “Getting vaccinated is clearly something that should be done by all pharmacy professionals, although we do not support making vaccination a mandatory legal requirement.”

It, however, encouraged pharmacy professionals to take up the vaccine.

The mandatory requirement of vaccination for the frontline NHS staff is expected to come into force from April 2022.